A leading global hard-rock underground mining services provider has been awarded a major underground contract at a large-scale gold mine.

Barminco announced this week that it has been awarded a five-year contract extension to provide underground mining support and operations at Anglogold Ashanti Australia’s Sunrise Dam.

The contract, valued at around $700 million, is an extension of a long history of working together that dates back to the commencement of operations at the dam back in 2003.

Through the extension, Barminco will assist in plans to increase annual production “well beyond” the current rate of around 3 million tonnes per annum.

Barminco Chief Executive Officer Paul Muller said the Company had worked hard to fully optimise productivity and efficiency, and deliver industry-leading safety and operational performance at the Sunrise Dam mine.

“This contract extension speaks volumes about our commitment to AngloGold, the relationship we have built with them and the results that have been delivered at Sunrise Dam over the past 15 years,” Mr Muller said.

“We are very pleased to extend our relationship and continue work to achieve our shared vision with AngloGold to further increase annual production using our latest equipment and cutting-edge technologies.”

“This contract extension demonstrates the commitment and strong working relationship that AngloGold Ashanti and Barminco have built over many years of mining challenges while continuing to significantly improve safety and productivity.”

Wholly-owned by AngloGold Ashanti, Sunrise Dam is an underground gold mine that has seen a production increase of around 4% in the last year. The company will continue to focus on embedding a more selective mining approach to target higher grade sections in the underground stopes, while maintaining the underground production rate at approximately 250,000t a month.